Card-index system.



G. P. POTTER.

OABD INDEX SYSTEM.

Arrmonxox rum) n11. s, 1911.

Patented July 9, 1912.

WMIIJW BIMLL WIT/(8858:

INVETU/Y I? \Eda/c ATTORNEY COLUIIIA MIA"! w" Iumm. D- c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES PALMER POTTER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CARD-INDEX SYSTEM.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CILARLEs PALMER Po'rrsa, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in- Card-Index Systems, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to so-called card file indexes and vertical file indexes, and my immediate object is to provide a novel, and particularly convenient system of index cards, whereby any desired information card may be instantl found.

Briefly descri ed, my said invention consists of leading or initial index cards arranged in offset relation to a secondary series of letters or numbers, and so on to third and fourth positions, if desired; the relative arrangement of the indicating cards of the several series bein such that the natural system of reading from left to right is followed.

The accompanyin drawings illustrate and will aid in exp aining, my improved system, Figure 1 being a perspective view of an index tray havin arranged therein enough cards of the I? section to illustrate my said improvement. Fig. 2 is a front face elevation of the index cards, showin articularly the relative arrangement of the several index letters as they appear in the first, second, third and fourth positions. In Figs. 3 to 7 (both inclusive) I have shown, removed from the tray, the several cards illustrated in the Fig. 1, or rather one card from each of the several positions.

As here shown, the first card of the B section is denoted by the reference numeral 10, and the letter B, which serves as the initial letter of that entire section, is displayed at the left-hand end portion of the said first card on a tab that extends upwardly from the main, or body, portion of said card, as seen in the drawin s. The letters of the second position are displayed on relatively narrower tabs on cards 11 located at the rear of the initial card 10, and the letters of the said second position are offset (slightly to the ri ht hand) from the initial letter B, as wi 1 be understood by reference to Fig. 1 of the drawin These second position letters should E: such as are most commonly used in words commencing with B, as, for example, E, I, L, O, R,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 8, 1911.

Patented July 9, 1912.

Serial No. 618,616.

V, etc. Inserted between these second 0- sition cards are similar cards 12 having thereon letters that may occupy the third position in names, etc. By preference, I also lace on the initial card 10, adjacent to, and ollowing the letter B, one of the vowels (as here shown, the vowel A), in order to save space and cards.

Assuming that we have an index system embodying the general arrangement of letters, as shown and described, and it is desired to look 11 the name Blackburn; the initial letter on card 10, is first found, then the letter l on one of the second position cards 11, then the letter a on the third position card 12, when the desired name ma be readily found in the group of cards fol owing the said third position card. Again, should it be desired to look up the name Bidwell the search begins, as before, with the initial letter B, on card 10, then the second position card I is found then the third position card D is found, and the desired name will be readily found in the group of cards following the said third position card.

Should it be desired to look up beginning with the letters Ba as for example, the name Barnes, the first two letters will be found on the initial card 10, then the letter r on the third position card, and the name sought will be readily found in the group of cards following the said third position card. As a further means for quickly locating certain common names, such as Smith, Brown, etc., I provide distinctive cards 13 having the surname Smith or Brown (as the case may be) in the proper group of cards and then group all the Smith or Brown cards together. It is then only necessary to begin with the initial letter B and trace out the Smith or Brown location and, having discovered the said distinctive card, with the surname on it, look through the Smith or Brown cards, as the case may be, until the name sought is found.

My invention contemplates also a further sub-division of the fourth division cards and groups by means of fifth division cards 14 upon which are placed the initial letters of given names, so that the Smith, Brown or other selected groups may be sub-divided according to the first or given names, thus making it still more convenient to locate any desired name. An example 8. name of this last described sub-division is seen in the letter T in the Blackburn group, in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

It will thus be seen that provision .is. here made for readily spelling out the first three letters .of any name by simply following out the natural order of the said letters; that is to say, by reading 'from left to right hand by means of the first, second and third osition letters. It will, of course, be an erstood that-the A, the C and other alphabetical divisions of the entire index file would embody the same general plan as that of the B division which I have illustrated and described.

It will 'be obvious that, in using my described card index system, additionalname' cards may be inserted in, or cards may be removed from any of the sequential posi-- tions without in any degree interferingwith the said system. One of the most desirable and valuable, features of m said! system is in the fact that it-embodies the natural, or sequential order, of spelling so? that said system may be readil understood by a novice without any specia instructionu Having thus described my invention I claim as new and wish to secure by Letters Patent:

i1. A card index system embodying an initial index card, index cards bearing a secondary series of letters offset in relation thereto and so on to the fourth position,

.said letters *being arranged in proper sequence to partially spell and thus indicate a desired surname, and also to indicate a given name.

2. A card index system embodying a plurality of guide cards arranged in a group and provided with a succession of letters offset from each other, said letters being arranged in proper order and sequence to partially spell and thus indicate a desired surname, cards bearing letters to occupy a third position in names, etc., and additional cards following the position cards bearing letters to indicate given names.

CHARLES PALMER POTTER.

Witnesses GUY T. MITOHELL, MAUDE E. MouoAN.

copies of this patent-may be obtained for five-cents each-by addmutngthc 8 Commissioner- 01 iPatants, Washington, DAG. 

